On the other hand, I was nervous. The visiting team’s locker room was unexplored territory for me. After a while, you get more comfortable talking to the Rockets players. Entering the Pistons locker room and seeing Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace… it takes you back to the beginning.
McGrady appeared ready for his Houston return. He was hanging out at his locker, finishing up a call on his cell phone. Honestly, it was bizarre seeing him decked out in Pistons gear. He said being in the “other” locker room wasn’t as strange as he thought it was going to be.
“If this was my first time, it would be, but I’ve been on this side before in a Magic uniform,” said McGrady. “It feels weird, but not as weird as I thought it was going to be because I’ve been on this side before.”
Advertisement
McGrady thought of Yao Ming first when asked about his best moments in Houston.
“It was a pleasure to be Yao’s teammate,” said McGrady. “I was really looking forward to that when I first got traded here. The 22-game winning streak as a team, that’s the second best in NBA history. Those are two of the best for me.”
During
The reaction from the crowd shocked me.
I was asked 4-5 times what I thought would be the reaction from the Toyota Center crowd when McGrady entered the game — I thought for sure he would be cheered. There would be a few jeers, but they would be drowned out.
That wasn’t the case at all. The arena filled with boos when McGrady entered the game and it truly surprised me.
Advertisement
It wasn’t that the reaction was not justified. I wrote a year ago about the day T-Mac lost the city of Houston, but Rockets faithful cheered him loudly when he finally came back last season, and that too surprised me. I think they got it backwards… it would have been nice to send a clear message then, but now might have been the time to reflect a bit more on the positive.
Here is both the reaction on TV when McGrady entered the game and the amateur fan cam view from the stands.
After
If McGrady was rattled by the fan reaction, he certainly wasn’t going to let it be known in his words.
Advertisement
“I don’t have no reaction at all,” said McGrady.
But it was obvious that T-Mac didn’t have the same demeanor that he showed pregame. He was more defensive and almost seemed a bit hurt. He definitely wasn’t basking in the backlash, like he did in Orlando. McGrady really didn’t have a clear answer when asked how he wanted to be remembered in Houston.
“Whatever comes to mind. I really don’t have any … I don’t know,” said McGrady. “Whatever I did for them when I played here, if they enjoyed me when I suited up at night. If they didn’t, it’s whatever they feel.”
Listen closely. A reporter mentions that it wasn’t like the first trip back to “Orlando,” and McGrady agrees, saying the first trip back to “Toronto” was actually worse.
And I think that collection of burned bridges sums it up. McGrady had truly amazing talent, the kind that can put you in the Hall of Fame, but you never see true superstars booed at every place they once called home.
Armed with a bizarre fascination for Mario Elie and a deep love of the Houston Rockets, Dave Hardisty started ClutchFans in 1996 under the pen name “Clutch”.
The Rockets made a move on Monday, signing former first-round pick David Roddy to a two-way contract.
The two-way spot opened up after the front office signed Jeenathan Williams to a standard four-year, $8.2 million contract (with friendly team options all along the way).
Roddy is 6-foot-5 and 250+ pounds but sports a 6-foot-11 wingspan. He was taken with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft — six selections after the Rockets drafted Tari Eason. A standout in college, Roddy averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game during his junior season at Colorado State.
Roddy, who turns 24 later this month, is a physical player who can play multiple positions. He’s a solid rebounder for his size/position. He has played in 165 games over three seasons with the Grizzlies, Suns, Hawks and most recently Sixers, averaging 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
Advertisement
The guard/forward has not shown efficient shooting, however — he’s a career 30.5% three-point shooter and just 68.4% from the line. His defense is better inside than out.
Ultimately, it will be those two things — three-point shooting and defense — that will determine his chances of carving out a consistent role in the league.
All in all, it’s a low-risk signing and the Rockets get a look at a prospect that fits their age timeline.
ESPN NBA analyst Brian Windhorst said on Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline show that Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons is working on a buyout and the Houston Rockets is a potential landing spot for him.
“Cleveland and Houston are two situations for Ben Simmons,” said Windhorst.
Brian Windhorst says the Cavaliers and Rockets are buyout locations for Ben Simmons.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka was an assistant coach in Philadelphia in 2019-20 when Simmons was with the Sixers, before injuries took a significant toll. In fact, Udoka, when speaking about Amen Thompson earlier this season, brought up some comparisons to Simmons.
“The skill set is there, and it’s something that’s unique with his speed, athleticism, size, passing ability, and all those things,” said Udoka of Thompson. “I coached somebody, Ben Simmons, who had similar traits… as far as size and ability to push the pace, and find guys and finish. There are some similarities there.”
Both Thompson and Simmons are known for their elite athleticism, defensive versatility, and ability to create opportunities in transition.
However, can Simmons help the Rockets today? That’s the tough question.
Advertisement
Simmons has played in 33 games this season, averaging 6.2 points, 6.9 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks in 25 minutes a night. He does not shoot threes (like, at all) — he has only attempted two threes in the past three seasons combined.
Ideally, he does not play in front of your young forwards of Amen, Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. and on that basis alone, I think I would pass. But, Ime loves defensive dogs and he could use some extra ballhandling on the roster. You can see that there’s little in the way of offensive organization when Fred VanVleet is out.
There would be a comical full circle moment though if the Rockets did sign Ben Simmons, considering the Rockets were heavily criticized for trading James Harden in 2021 to Brooklyn instead of to Philadelphia for Simmons. The Rockets clearly made the right choice there.
The Houston Rockets are working the phones to do a little more asset management.
After acquiring a second-round pick from Boston to take on Jaden Springer’s salary, the Rockets made another similar move, absorbing the contract of Cody Zeller this season to get back a 2028 second-round pick.
Ironically, that pick is Houston’s own 2028 second-round pick that the Rockets sent to Atlanta in 2023.
The pick the Rockets get back from Atlanta — Houston's own 2028 second-round pick — was originally sent from Houston to Atlanta in the 2023 salary dump move that traded Usman Garuba and TyTy Washington to the Hawks.
The Rockets waived Springer to make roster room for Zeller. They will likely do the same with Zeller in order to make room for a buyout signing in the coming days or weeks.
It’s a small move but it’s another good one on the margins. These second-round picks add up. The two the Rockets got in the past couple of days — Boston’s 2030 second and Houston’s own 2028 second — could be eventually combined in a deal that nets the Rockets a solid role player down the line. Houston did exactly this last season when they acquired Steven Adams from Memphis.
So quick grade? Easy A. Solid asset management work by Rockets GM Rafael Stone and credit to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta for being willing to spend millions just to get some extra seconds.
The NBA Trade Deadline is just over 24 hours away but the Houston Rockets have already made a move.
OK, it’s not that kind of move, but Rafael Stone and the front office did make a trade on the margins on Wednesday, picking up Jaden Springer and a 2030 second-round pick from Boston.
The Rockets leveraged their open roster spot and salary situation to take the contract of Springer off the hands of the Celtics, who are saving a ton in luxury tax payments by making the move. It’s smart business by the Rockets, who are doing this for a second-round pick in 2030.
Now, usually a Celtics second-round pick is not worth much, but this is five years out so it’s a quality asset as far as seconds go. In today’s NBA, these kinds of picks have grown in value as key assets for being in a position to land solid role players. With the Rockets planning on being a playoff team for the next several years, this addition could prove useful in addressing future roster needs.
Advertisement
This trade framework between Houston and Boston may not be new to you. If you watched or listened to the ClutchFans Podcast on Monday, David Weiner, aka BimaThug, literally called out this exact possibility of the Rockets taking on Springer and landing a second-round pick.
As for Springer himself, this was a player I liked quite a bit in the 2021 NBA Draft and I wanted the Rockets to take him at the Josh Christopher spot. He has not quite panned out just yet. He’s got good size for a point guard (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) but is not a strong playmaker and has not been incredibly accurate as a shooter (25.0% from three).
But he does have good defensive potential. Does that get Ime Udoka’s attention at all? Possibly, but the Rockets likely will get an end-of-the-bench look at him for the rest of the season before his contract expires this offseason.
Luka Doncic traded to the Lakers? De’Aaron Fox traded to the Spurs?
What a crazy few days it has been, and the NBA trade deadline (Feb 6) hasn’t even arrived yet. The league is already turned upside down, so what does this mean for the Western Conference and the Houston Rockets?
Join Dave Hardisty and David Weiner on this episode of the ClutchFans Podcast as they break down:
The shocking Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers
Could the Rockets have had a legit chance at Luka?
How De’Aaron Fox changes San Antonio’s future
The Rockets owning Dallas’ 2029 first-round pick
What the Rockets could do at the NBA trade deadline
